Amalgamating apparatus.



No. 575ml). Patented lune 4, |901. A. LAvmx. AMALGAMATING APPARATUS.

(Application Med Dec. 23, 1898.) (un Modal.) 3 sheets-snm l.

'fue Nongus mins cn, PHoro-Ll'mo., msmnofom D. c,

VVT/VESSES No. 675,660. Patented lune 4, 190|. A. LAVUIX. AMALGAMATlNGAPPARATUS.

(Application Bled Dec. 23, 1898.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(Nn Model.)

No. 635,660. Patented lune 4, l90l. A. LAVOIX.

AMALGAMATING APPARATUS.

(Application 'led Dec. 28, 189B.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

me Noms Pneus co, woraumo. mas-wauw. D. c.

UNiTieD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTOINE LAVOIX, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

AMALGAMATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 6'? 5,660, dated June4:, 1901. Application tiled December Z3, 1898. Serial No. 700,114. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom z'ft 'muy concern:

Be it known that l, ANTOINE LAvoIX, civil engineer, a citizen of theRepublic of France, and a resident of 7 Rue de Chateaud un, Paris,France, have invented certain Improvements in orRelating toAmalgamatingApparatus for Extraction of Precious Metals from Minerals,(for which applications for patents have been iled in my nalne inBelgium the 12th of October, 1898; in Germany the 13th of October, 1898;in France the 8th of December, 1898, and in England the 8th of December,1898,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an amalgamating apparatus adapted for deliveryin large quantities, and especially designed to accomplish extracting toa maximum degree the gold or silver from the minerals; and it consists,essentially, in passing the minerals in suspension in water from belowthe top through a ring-like column ot' Quicksilver, not thick, butcontained between two cylinders, while the mass is fast stirred up byrotation of one of the cylinders, provided with pins covering its wholecircumference in contact with the Quicksilver and while the raising ofthe minerals is delayed by circular ribs carried by the cylinder andarranged in convenient spaces one from the other in order tothrow backthe minerals upon the pins of the rotating cylinder to secure intimateand prolonged contact of all the particles with the quicksilver.

The annexed drawings show the amalgainating apparatus of my invention..

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view.Fig. 3 is a sectional partial elevation. Fig. e is a horizontal sectionon the line 1 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail of the construction of thecylinders of the apparatus on a larger scale. Figs. 6 and 7 show in avertical and horizontal section a modified construction of thecylinders. Fig. 8 shows another modified construction in which both ofthe cylinders are provided with pins.

My apparatus comprises, essentially', two vertical concentric cylindersA and B, with an annular space between them, which is illed withQuicksilver during the action and which forms the amalgamation-held.

Nith reference to Figs. 1 to 5, the outer cylinderAis composed of threeparts or sectors riveted or bolted together along the whole height, andit rests upon the ground on three regulating-screws cl, allowing, inconjunction with three water-levels b, the true vertical adjustments ofthe apparatus.

Each bracket c, forming a nut for the regulating-screwct, and also eachwater-1evel box is of iron, cast with one of the sectors of the cylinderA, so that the three parts of this cylinder are identical and requireonly one pattern and mold.

The cylinder A is closed below by a riveted bottom C, of cast-iron, witha ribbed frame D, which forms a center pedestal for supporting the shafto of the cylinder B and also carries the pipe e for the iniiow of themixture of water and mineral and the pipe f for outfiow of the residue.This latter pipe serves also during the working of the apparatus forperiodically evacuating the amalgam. On its top end the cylinder hasalso a riveted head F, perforated with windows or holes g and carryingthe different organs for operating the rotation of the inner cylinder B.

The inner cylinder B is open at its lower end, and its inner border isat little distance from the bottom C of the outer cylinder. 1 Thiscylinder has a plane bottom h at a convenient height from its lower endand rests upon the frame D by means of its shaft o, fastened to thebottom h and carried and guided by a cross-bar t, embodying arms made ofiron cast with the cylinder. The top part of the cylinder is reinforcedby inner ribs j, uniting with the head G. Upon the boss, at the centerof head G, is keyed a beveled wheel 7e, operating to revolve thecylinder. This wheel 7c gears with a beveled pinion 7d, keyed ou thehorizontal shaft l, supported and guided by a long bearing F', made ofcast-iron, in the head F of the outside cylinder. On the outside of theapparatus the shaft Z carries a fast driving-pulleym and a loose pulleym. When the apparatus is working, the thrust resulting from the iiowingin under pressure of the liquid in the cylinder B tends to lift thiscylinder, so that it must be provided on its top end with a very goodbearing R, conveniently oiled. For this purpose there is keyed on thehead G a shaft o', whose top end forms asocket and turns upon astationary pivot formed by a screw n, held in the head F of the outercyl- IOO two consecutive ribs t.

inder. This screw carries keyed on it a wormg q when the pivot is to bescrewed down forv compensating for wear.

The oiling of the socket is secured by an oiler o", from which passes apipe r', arranged in the axle of the pivot.

The inner cylinder B carries upon lits whole outer circumferencemetallic pins s, screwed into its walls or fastened in any otherconvenient manner to project slightly less than the width of the annularspace between the two cylinders. The cylinder B has also on its outside,and equidistantly-arranged, circular-ribs t, making a very small flange,and the cylinder A has on its inner circumference circular ribs t',situated each about in the middle of the intermediate space between eachtwo ribs t and forming a larger flange than the ribs t. and very littleless than the width of the annular space.

To enable'the easy replacing or substituting of the pins s after wear,the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may be employed. The pins sinstead of being fastened directly in the wall itself of the cylinder Bare fastened in metallic rings or jackets or, wrapping the cylinder Band varranged each between Each ring m is made of three segments unitedtogether two by two by means of lugs y and bolts y', which allow a quickassemblage and dismounting. I may also employ yfor the same purpose theconstruction 's'hown in Fig. 8. Each horizontal linevof pins s is ofiron, cast with a short ring c', which is passed over the cylinder B.These rings are su perposed and solidarized with the lcylinder B bymeans of vertical keysor by any other suitable means. Each of said ringsis molded like a gear. In this view the two cylinders A and kB are shownas formed by sections united by means of strong circular iianges andbolts. Besides I have represented in the-interior of the-cylinder Asuperposed rings e', of iron, cast with pins or teeth s', of which thehorizontal lines alternate with the lines of pins s.

The 'amalgamator works as follows: The apparatus being irst put inexactly vertical position and the cock f in the pipe f being closed,quicksilver is introduced till its level arrives at the height of thegravity-valve u, which is seated in the top end of the pipe e and issupported by a flange, as shown. This quantity of quicksilver isestimated as suliicient Vfor filling the whole annular space between thetwo cylinders when it is confined to that space. The pipe e being put incornmunication'wi'th a pump delivering the mixture of water and mineralwith a pressure of four to live kilograms, or thereabout, per squarecentimeter, the tap e of the feed-pipe is opened, the liquid laden'withmineral lifts the valve u and falls back over the surface of thesheet ofquicksilver, the level of the water rises, and the airis compressedunder the full bottom h, forming a bell, while the level of thequicksilver goes down in the cylinder B and rises in the annular spacebetween the two cylinders. As soon as the quicksilver is gone down inthe cylinder B to the line y the water and the minerals pass the borderof the cylinderB and traverse, from below to top, the layer ofquicksilver with a rapidity partly depending upon the height of thequicksilver column. It will be understood that it is useful for theborder of the inner cylinder B to be entirely horizontal in order thatthe waterand minerals escape along the whole circumference of thiscylinder and that the whole annular mass 'of quicksilver works at thesame time. The drivin'g-pulleym of the cylinder B being then engaged,this cylinder begins to turn. In accordance as the water and theminerals rise in traversing'the quicksilver a strong agitation isproduced in the liquid along its whole height by the ypins s, so thatthe different particles of the-minerals come into intimate contactwiththe quicksilver and all the precious metal is dissolved. The risingmovement of the minerals vis diminished or delayed, moreover, by thecircular ribs and t of the cylinder, disposer-lso as to form a zigzagcourse. The projection of the ribs t being, moreover, largerthan that ofthe ribs t, the minerals are always thrown back toward the innercylinder to undergo the action of the pins o'n the spot where it is mostfelt, and this considerably increases the efficacy of the process bysecuring, namely, the scouring-that is to say, the cleaning off of thedifferent particles of metal or thedetaching of the already-formedamalgam from the surface of these particles. Vhen the two cylinders areprovided with pins, the stationary pins or teeth s can only facilitatethe stirring and contribute to furnish an excellent work. I may remarkthat the cylinder B is also provided toward its lower end on its innersurface with a certain number of pallets r, which, rotating in the midstof the water laden with minerals, stir up'the sedi-ments in this mass,so that the process of amalgamation may act regularly. The outercylinder A has near its top end a gage-level pipe T, showing at whatmoment quicksilver must be supplied to thetapparatus. The mixture ofwater and residues arriving at the upper part of the apparatus after theamalgamation passes out through a pipe S.-

` My amalgamating apparatus thus made is especially effective andefficient, secures a delivery in large quantity, and extracts to amaximum degree the precious metals contained in the minerals.

I claiml. In an amalgamator, the combination with a vertical exteriorcylinder; va cover to said cylinder and a pedestal in the bottom of saidcylinder, of an interior, vertical, revoluble, cylinder, journaled as toits lower end in said pedestal, and adapted and arranged to turn withinsaid exterior cylinder; a screw piercing the said cover, and adapted andarranged to form a bearing for the upper end of the said interiorcylinder; a wormwheel on said screw; a worm engaging said Wheel; meansas specified for actuating and supporting said worm, whereby facility isafforded for regulating the pressure of said screw upon said interiorcylinder, of a bevel gear-wheel mounted upon the top of said interiorcylinder; a shaft journaled in the cover of said eX- terior cylinder; apinion mounted on said shaft, and engaging said bevel-wheel, and meansfor actuating said shaft, whereby the said interior cylinder is made torevolve within the said exterior cylinder all substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. In an amalgamator, the combination with a vertical stationarycylinder; a revoluble vertical cylinder within said stationary cylinder,and a bottom for said stationary eylinder; a pedestal, located on themiddle of the inner side of said bottom and a perforated cap on saidpedestal, whereon said interior cylinder is journaled; of anentry-conduitextending through said bottom, and said pedestal, andaffording facility for the entry of ore-pulp, through said conduit andthe perforations of said cap, into the interior of said revolublecylinder, and under the edge thereof, into a space between the saidexterior and interior cylinders, to be there agitated with mercury asspecified, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In an amalgamator, the combination with an exterior, upright, hollowcylinder composed of segments as speciiied; a cover for said cylinder; ascrew threaded in said cover; a worm-wheel rigidly mounted on saidscrew; a worin journaled by brackets on said cover, adapted and arrangedto engage said worm-wheel; a hand-Wheel on said worm; a bottom for saidcylinder; an upright pedestal extending upward from the middle of theinner side of said bottom; an entry-conduit passing through said bottomand through said pedestal; Valves as specified in said conduit; aperforated cover on said pedestal; and a journal bearing on said cover;adjustingscrews whereon said cylinder rests, working in the said bottomthereof; and annular ribs, as specified, extending inwardly, at equaldistances apart, upon the inner surface of said exterior cylinder; of aninterior upright revoluble cylinder adapted to turn within said eX-terior cylinder; a pressure-chamber in the lower part of said interiorcylinder; means as specified for supporting and actuating said interiorcylinder; pallets within said interior cylinder; annular ribs and pinson the eXterior surface of said interior cylinder, located as specified;means of communication for the passage of inflowing ore-pulp from saidentryconduit to the space between said cylinders,` anddischarge-conduits for said cylinders as specified all substantially asand for the purpose set forth.-

In Witness whereof l have hereunto signed my name, this 13th day ofDecember, 1398, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ANTOINE LAVOIX.

Vitnesses:

JEAN BAPTISTE FOURNIER, EDWARD l. MACLEAN.

